Self-closing faucet.



' J. MUELLER. SELF CLOSING PAUGET. APPLICATION FILED SET. 25, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

/ III! I Y" I fizz/1912i:

COLUMBIA'PLANOGRAPH CO..WASIIINGTON. D4 c.

JOHN MUELLER, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SELF-CLOSING FAUCET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed September 25, 1911. Serial No. 651,017.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN MUELLER, citi; zen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Faucets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-closing faucets, and the object of the invention is to improve the construction and operation of such faucets in certain important particulars as hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a faucet embodying my improvement, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of the handle, and Fig. 4 is a detail of the screw cap.

The physical embodiment as thus shown comprises a faucet body 13 of a common pattern or style and which has the usual valve seat Z) and valve 4; to seat thereon. The said valve has a stem 2 of a length adapted to extend through and above the screw cap C, Where it is engaged by handle h, and said cap is threaded and screwed into or upon the top of body B and has an internal cavity open from below and filled with a suitable packing 3 about said stem to prevent leakage. A spiral wire spring S is interposed about said valve stem between the valve and the said cap and a collar or washer 4 on said stem next beneath said packing serves as the upper bearing for said spring and has a slight flange about its edge bearing against said cap as shown and serving to limit the expansion of the spring in that direction. Up to this point no actual novelty is claimed for the parts as thus generally related, but both said cap and said handle are possessed of novel features of construction which materially improve the operation of the faucet and distinguish it from others as an article of manufacture as will presently be seen. Thus, in the general style of faucets to which this invention is related the pivot connection between the handle or lever corresponding to present handle it and valve stem 2 has always been so far aboveithe bearing or fulcrum for the handle that the first effect of the movement of the handle to open the valve is to draw the top of the valve stem laterally and bind the same frictionally againstthe cap, which made operation difficult and caused a rapid wearing away of the parts and consequent leakage. To further illustrate, what I mean by the comparison, let it be supposed that the valve rod extends some distance above the top of the cap and that the pivot hole for the handle is in the top of said rod. The handle would be built to pivot through said hole and the fulcrum thereof would be on the top of the cap some distance below the said pivot point. This would inevitably cause a lateral pull on the top of the valve rod or stem before any lifting at all occurred and after that the lift had to be against this binding effect on the said rod and with inevitable lateral slipping of the handle on its fulcrum to obtain a lifting movement and opening of the valve.

Now, as a matter of fact, the faucet just described is the one upon which the present invention is an improvement and the faults or defects in which the present invention is designed to overcome and remedy. This is accomplished by such a material change in construction that the pivot between the lever or handle it and the valve stem is in fact very slightly beneath the fulcrum of the lever when the parts are normal, and such that when the valve is say half way open the pivot and the fulcrum will be on the dead center or level and when fully open only as far above said center as it is below to begin with. This enables the handle to be operated without any slipping whatever on its fulcrum and absolutely prevents side or friction pressure or binding in the valve stem. Now, to these ends I provide the said cap with two upright lugs 5 on its top on opposite sides of the bore therein for rod 2 and construct the head of handle it with a cavity or recess from beneath and with side ears or flanges 8 having a pivot hole 10 through the same and extending on the outside of said lugs but remaining out of touch with the surface 7. The pivot pin cl for the valve stem is engaged through said holes 10 as shown. Between the said flanges and at opposite sides of the said cavity the handle has fiat bearing surface 9 resting down on said lugs when the parts are at rest, and the said lugs constitute the fulcrum upon which the said handle is operated. In any case the handle rests exclusively on these lugs and the valve can be opened by either depressing or raising the handle. The natural and easy way is to depress it and in either case there is no lateral pull on the valve stem nor sliding on the fulcrum and the lift is directly and only upward on easy and natural lines.

1. A faucet body and a cap thereon having an axial bore and studs at its top at each side of said bore, a valve stem extending through said .cap between said studs and a handle pivotally engaged with said stem and operatively seated on said studs, the

v plane of connection between said handle and '3 Copies of 'th i s pate nt may be obtained' fqr five cents each; by addre i v." f Washington, D. CRV

said valve stem being just beneath "the top of said" studs, whereby direct lift of the valve stemzis promoted.

2. In self-closing faucets, a faucet body and a cap thereon having upward projections on its top, a lever handle having a head with side flanges provided with transverse holes and adapted to rest on said projections between said flanges, a valve'stem having a hole coincident with the holes in said fiahgesand a pivot pin connecting the handle and stem through said holes a slight distance beneath the top of said projections. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

1 JOHN MUELLER.

Witnesses; r 7

- E. MQFISHER,

' F. OLMUsSUN.

ssing t he Commissioner of Patents. 

